20.6: Pronoun Cases

Pronouns may be classified by three categories: person, number, and case.

Person

Figure \(\PageIndex{1}\)

Person refers to the relationship that an author has with the text that he or she writes, and with the reader of that text. English has three persons (first, second, and third).

First

First-person is the most informal. The author is saying, this is about me and people I know.

First-person pronouns include I, me, we

Second

Second-person is also informal, though slightly more formal than first-person. The author is saying, this is about you, the reader.

All second-person pronouns are variations of you, which is both singular and plural

Third

Third-person is the most formal. The author is saying, this is about other people.

In the third person singular there are distinct pronoun forms for male, female, and neutral gender. Here is a short list of the most common pronouns and their gender:

Person

Pronouns

First

I, me, we, us

Second

you

Third

Male

he, him

Female

she, her

Neutral

it, they, them

Exercise \(\PageIndex{1}\)

In the following sentences, determine the person for each pronoun:

Jada often put other people’s needs before her own.

Amelia and Ajani still haven’t arrived. I should make sure I texted them.

You will need three things in order to be successful: determination, discipline, and dexterity.

Answer

The pronoun is her. Her is a feminine third-person pronoun.

There are two pronouns: I and them. I is a first-person pronoun. Them is a neutral third-person pronoun.

The pronoun is you. You is a second-person pronoun

Number

Figure \(\PageIndex{2}\)

There are two numbers: singular and plural. The table below separates pronouns according to number. You may notice that the second person is the same for both singular and plural: you.

Person

Number

Pronouns

First

Singular

I, me

Plural

we, us

Second

Singular

you

Plural

you

Third

Singular

he, him

she, her

it

Plural

they, them

Case

Figure \(\PageIndex{3}\)

English personal pronouns have two cases: subject and object (there are also possessive pronouns, which we’ll discuss next). Subject-case pronouns are used when the pronoun is doing the action. (I like to eat chips, but she does not). Object-case pronouns are used when something is being done to the pronoun (John likes me but not her). This video will further clarify the difference between subject- and object-case:

Exercise \(\PageIndex{2}\)

In the following sentences, identify the person, case, and number of each pronoun:

You shouldn’t be so worried about what other people think. They don’t matter. The only person you need to please is you.

Elena knew she should have spent more time on homework this semester, but binge-watching TV had tripped her up again and again.

George Washington was the first president of the United States. He set the standard of only serving two terms of office. However, it wasn’t illegal to do so until 1951.

Answer

There are three pronouns: you, they, and you.

You is a subject case, singular, second-person pronoun.

They is a subject case, plural, neutral third-person pronoun.

You is an object case, singular, second-person pronoun.

There are two pronouns: she and her.

She is a subject case, singular, feminine third-person pronoun.

Her is an object case, singular, feminine third-person pronoun.

There are two pronouns: he and it.

He is a subject case, singular, masculine third-person pronoun.

It is a subject case, singular, neutral third-person pronoun.

Possessive Pronouns

Possessive pronouns are used to indicate possession (in a broad sense). Some occur as independent phrases: mine, yours, hers, ours, yours, theirs. For example, “Those clothes are mine.” Others must be accompanied by a noun: my, your, her, our, your, their, as in “I lost my wallet.” This category of pronouns behaves similarly to adjectives. His and its can fall into either category, although its is nearly always found in the second.

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